MALTA >> A retired police officer killed his wife last week and then spent several days with her body in their southern Saratoga County home, authorities said Monday.

Charles L. Wilkinson, 69, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly strangling Kathleen Wilkinson, 65, in their home in the town of Malta, according to Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III.

Malta is north of Albany and south of Saratoga Springs.

A sheriff’s deputy sent to the house Sunday to check on Mrs. Wilkinson’s welfare found her body in a first-floor bedroom, Murphy said. She apparently had been dead for several days.

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The welfare check was initiated by the couple’s son, who lives in Boston, after he was altered by a local relative, authorities said.

An autopsy was conducted Monday at Albany Medical Center, and forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Sikirica determined Mrs. Wilkinson died from asphyxiation by strangulation.

Murphy did not say when Mrs. Wilkinson died, nor did he offer a possible motive for the killing.

The DA said Charles Wilkinson retired from the Nassau County Police Department on Long Island in 1984 after working as an officer for 13 years. He and his wife moved to Malta about 10 years ago, and Wilkinson was working as a security guard at GlobalFoundries in Malta, Murphy said. Wilkinson previously worked as a painter.

Mrs. Wilkinson was a retired teacher’s aide.

In front of the couple’s home on Monday, yellow police tape blocked the front yard, and investigators in full-body protective suits processed the scene. A Jeep sat in the driveway, the air missing from all four tires.

Neighbors spoke highly of the couple and said they weren’t aware of any domestic issues, Murphy said.

“We’re very lucky to have very few murders,” the DA said. “Certainly, it’s very disturbing to have it happen in a very quiet neighborhood.”

Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said there was no known history of domestic violence in the Wilkinson home.

Murphy said that because Wilkinson is former police officer, he is “very much aware of” his constitutional rights.

“A member of law enforcement certainly knows how an investigation works and certainly knows his rights ... so we are certainly very careful, as we are in all cases, how to proceed with an investigation because we can only do it once,” the DA said.

Wilkinson was arraigned in Malta Town Court and sent to Saratoga County Jail without bail. He is due back in court on June 17.

If convicted of second-degree murder, Wilkinson faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.